Fixed Angle Centrifuge Rotor With Helically Wound Reinforcement

ABSTRACT

A centrifuge rotor includes a rotor body having first and second axial ends and a circumferential sidewall extending therebetween. The rotor body has a plurality of wells for receiving sample containers to be processed in the rotor. The rotor further includes an elongate reinforcement extending around the circumferential sidewall of the rotor body along a helical path. At least two portions of the elongate reinforcement interlock at one or more specific points on the surface of the rotor.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to centrifuge rotors and, moreparticularly, to a reinforcement structure and methods for makingfixed-angle centrifuge rotors.

BACKGROUND

Centrifuge rotors are typically used in laboratory centrifuges to holdsamples during centrifugation. While centrifuge rotors may varysignificantly in construction and in size, one common rotor structure isthe fixed angle rotor having a solid rotor body with a plurality ofwells or cavities distributed radially within the rotor body andarranged symmetrically about an axis of rotation. Samples are placed inthe wells, allowing a plurality of samples to be subjected tocentrifugation.

Conventional fixed angle centrifuge rotors may be made from metal orvarious other materials. However, a known improvement is to construct acentrifuge rotor by a compression molding process wherein the rotor isfabricated from a suitable material such as composite carbon fiber. Forexample, a fixed angle centrifuge rotor may be compression molded fromlayers of resin-coated carbon fiber laminate material. Examples ofcomposite centrifuge rotors are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,738,656,4,781,669, 4,790,808, 5,505,684, 5,601,522, 5,643,168, 5,759,592,5,776,400, 5,833,908, 5,876,322, 6,056,910, and 6,296,798, each owned bythe common assignee and incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

Because centrifuge rotors are commonly used in high rotationapplications where the speed of the centrifuges may exceed hundreds oreven thousands of rotations per minute, the centrifuge rotors must beable to withstand the stresses and strains experienced during the highspeed rotation of the loaded rotor. During centrifugation, a rotor withsamples loaded into the wells experiences high forces along directionsradially outwardly from the wells and in directions along thelongitudinal axes of the wells, consistent with the centrifugal forcesexerted on the sample containers. These forces cause significant stressand strain on the rotor body.

A centrifuge rotor should be able to withstand the forces associatedwith rapid centrifugation over the life of the rotor. A need thereforeexists for centrifuge rotors that provide improved performance inconsideration of the dynamic loads experienced during centrifugation.

SUMMARY

The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings anddrawbacks of centrifuge rotors heretofore known for use forcentrifugation. While the invention will be discussed in connection withcertain embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention includesall alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

In one aspect, a centrifuge rotor includes a rotor body having acircumferential sidewall and multiple sample wells. An elongatereinforcement extends around the circumferential sidewall along ahelical path. In one embodiment, the elongate reinforcement extendsaround the circumferential sidewall such that two or more portions ofreinforcement interlock at locations on the circumferential sidewallcorresponding to the axial position of a center of gravity of one ormore loaded wells. In another embodiment, the elongate reinforcementextends around the circumferential sidewall such that two or moreportions of reinforcement interlock at a location corresponding to theintersection of a longitudinal axis of a well with a bottom surface ofthe rotor body.

In another embodiment, the elongate reinforcement is a single carbonfiber tow. In another embodiment, two carbon fiber tows are used toreinforce the rotor body. In another embodiment, the helical path of thereinforcement extends along both the sidewall and the bottom surface ofthe rotor body. In another embodiment, the elongate reinforcement iswound further along the top of the rotor body.

In another embodiment, the rotor may also include a lip on the rotorbody with a larger and smaller inner diameter forming a stepped profile,and a lid that is supported by the stepped profile of the lip. The lidis coupled to an annular sealing member that is received on and removedfrom the lip without interference between the outer diameter of thesealing member and the larger inner diameter, but the outer diameter ofthe sealing member expands to sealingly receive the first inner diameterwhen the lid is fully seated on the lip.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present inventionshall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and thedescription thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above, andthe detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a centrifuge rotor assembly inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the assembly of FIG. 1,taken along line 2-2;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged detail view similar to FIG. 2B, showing the lidremoved from the lip of the rotor assembly;

FIG. 2B is an enlarged partial detail view of the encircled area 2B ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 2C is an enlarged detail view similar to FIG. 2B, showing the lidsealingly coupled to the lip of the rotor assembly;

FIGS. 3A-3C are perspective views illustrating a process of stackingcarbon fiber laminates to form a rotor body in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A-4D are cross-sectional elevation views illustrating acompression molding process for forming a rotor body in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the rotor body of FIG. 3C;

FIG. 5B is an elevation view of the rotor body of FIG. 3C with areinforcement wound thereon according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5C is an elevation view of the rotor body of FIG. 3C with multiplereinforcements wound thereon according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5D is an elevation view of the rotor body of FIG. 3C with multiplereinforcements wound thereon according to another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 6A-6E are plan views of a rotor body with reinforcements woundthereon according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of another exemplary rotor assembly with alid in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional elevation view of the centrifuge rotorassembly of FIG. 7A taken along line 7B-7B.

FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional elevation view of the centrifuge rotor ofFIGS. 7A and 7B in an assembled configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict an exemplary centrifuge rotor assembly 2 comprisinga rotor body 10 and multiple layers of reinforcement material 44disposed on an outer surface thereof. The layers are formed from areinforcement material 44 that extends in a helical path 50 around theouter surface of the rotor body 10, as further described below. Thelayers 44 cover the rotor body 10 having a circumferential sidewall 14with a smooth surface and defining a generally rounded conical shape ofthe rotor body 10. The rotor body 10 is rotationally symmetrical about acentral rotational axis R. The rotor has an upper end 12 and a lower end16. The rotor body may be formed such that the substantially smoothouter surface of the circumferential sidewall 14 requires no additionalmachining or finishing prior to the application of the layers 44, asdisclosed below.

As used herein, a “smooth circumferential sidewall” means that thecircumferential sidewall does not comprise a stepped configuration, andis generally free of corners or sharp edges. This term is not intendedto define the surface roughness of the circumferential sidewall.

In the embodiment shown, the lower end 16 has a rounded external surfacethat smoothly blends with the sidewall 14 to form a continuous curve. Itwill be appreciated that the lower end 16 may alternatively comprisevarious other shapes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor body 10 includes a plurality of wells 20,each having an open end 22 proximate the upper end 12 of the rotor body10. Each well 20 has a central longitudinal axis C. FIG. 2 alsoillustrates the approximate location of the center of gravity of asample container filled with material to be processed in the centrifugerotor assembly and seated in a well 20. Collectively, the centers ofgravity of the loaded wells define a plane G extending through the rotorassembly 2 as shown.

As used herein, the term “loaded well” refers to a well within acentrifuge rotor that includes a sample container properly positionedwithin the well and substantially filled with material to be processed.During rapid centrifugation, a loaded well may experience stressesassociated with the filled sample container. The location of the loadedwell center of gravity corresponds to a location of strain or stresswhere forces act when the centrifuge rotor undergoes rapidcentrifugation of filled sample containers positioned within the well.

The rotor assembly 2 is shown mounted to a rotor hub 90, which isattached to the centrifuge. To mount the rotor assembly 2 to the rotorhub 90, the rotor assembly 2 includes a rotor insert 120 that fitssecurely around the rotor hub 90. The rotor insert 120 is coupled to therotor body 10 as described below. Once the rotor assembly 2 is seated onthe rotor hub 90, a hub retainer 92 is fastened to the top of the hub 90to facilitate holding the rotor assembly 2 into place. The rotorassembly 2 also includes a lid 70, which is coupled to a lid screw 94.The lid screw 94 screws into the central region of the rotor hub 90.Once the lid 70 is in place, turning a tie down knob 96 coupled to a tiedown screw 98 within the lid screw 94 presses down on the lid screw 94,which in turn presses down on the lid 70, securing the lid 70 into placeas described below.

In the embodiment shown, the fixed angle centrifuge rotor body 10 isformed by compression molding resin-coated carbon fiber laminates 100.FIGS. 3A-3C and 4A-4D illustrate an exemplary method of forming rotorbody 10 using stacked carbon fiber laminates 100. As shown in FIG. 3A,the laminates 100 are made from a carbon fiber filament 104 that iswoven in two transverse directions. It will be appreciated, however,that laminates 100 may alternatively be formed by weaving filaments 104in various other configurations. The dimensions and pattern of eachlaminate 100 represents a cross section of the shape of the rotor bodyto be formed. The outer edges 102 of the laminates 100 collectivelydefine the circumferential sidewall 14 of the rotor body 10.

In the embodiment shown, some laminate layers 100 include a centralaperture 106 which is shaped to accommodate the rotor insert 120. Somelaminate layers 102 also include additional apertures 108, whichcollectively form recesses 109 that accommodate well inserts 122 to formthe sample wells 20.

With continued reference to FIGS. 4A-4D, an exemplary mold 110 comprisesa top portion 112, a bottom portion 114, and a mold core 116. The topand bottom portions 112, 114 of the mold 110 include cavities 113 thatdefine the contours of the outer surface of the rotor body 10. Thelaminates 102 are stacked into the mold bottom 114 around the core 116,which supports the separate rotor insert 120 by which the completedrotor assembly 2 interfaces with the centrifuge rotor hub 90 asdescribed above. Well inserts 122 may be wrapped in additional laminatelayers 101 and placed within the recesses 109 formed from the laminateapertures 108. The top portion 112 is placed over the bottom portion 114to enclose the stacked laminate layers 102 in the mold 110. Heat andpressure are applied to mold the layers 102 into a single integralcomponent, the rotor body 10. Compression molding also adheres thecarbon fiber to the rotor insert 120, which may be a material other thancarbon fiber. The compression molding process results in a rotor body 10and rotor insert 120 generally as shown in FIG. 3C, which is the same asthe rotor body 10 of the rotor assembly 2 shown in FIG. 1, having asubstantially smooth outer surface upon which a reinforcement material40 is applied as described below.

It will be appreciated that the rotor body 10 may alternatively beformed using various other materials and by various other methods. Forexample, in an alternative embodiment, the rotor body 10 may becompression molded from small pieces of discontinuous resin-coatedcarbon fiber, or from a combination of pieces of discontinuous carbonfiber and stacked layers of carbon laminate.

FIG. 5A is a schematic illustration of a side view of rotor body 10.Arrow G denotes the outward force exerted by the center of gravity of aloaded well during centrifugation. Arrows G1 and G2 denote thecomponents of that force normal to the outer surface of thecircumferential sidewall and along central longitudinal axis C of thewell 20, respectively. The schematic of FIG. 5A also depicts a helicalreinforcement path 50. The helical reinforcement path 50 may include oneor more of path components 52 a and 52 b. Path component 52 a intersectsa point 30 that is defined by the radial projection of the center ofgravity of a loaded well, shown by G, intersecting with the outersurface of the circumferential sidewall 14. Another path component 52 bintersects a point 32 that is defined by the intersection of thelongitudinal axis C of a well 20 with the outer surface of the bottom 16of the rotor body 10.

As shown in FIG. 5B, a guide 60 is used to apply an elongatereinforcement 40 to the outer surface of the rotor body 10 along thereinforcement path 50. The path of the guide 60 relative to the rotorbody 10 defines the path of the reinforcement 40. The guide 60 may havemultiple degrees of freedom in order to assure that the guide 60correctly guides the reinforcement 40 onto a generally helical path 50while staying substantially normal to the surface of the rotor body 10.In one embodiment, the reinforcement guide 60 may have five degrees offreedom, namely, the vertical and horizontal position of the guide 60,the pitch and yaw of the guide 60, and the radial position of the guide60 relative to the rotor axis R. The reinforcement 40 may be wound uponthe rotor body 10 by rotating the rotor body 10 about the axis R whilemanipulating the guide 60 to apply the reinforcement 40 along thedesired path 50. The rotor body 10 may be held in a generally fixedposition while being rotated about the axis R, or the rotor body 10 maybe moved relative to the guide 60 to define the desired path 50 for thereinforcement 40 as it is wound on the rotor body 10. Alternatively, theguide 60 may be held in a generally fixed position while the rotor body10 is rotated about the axis R and moved relative to the guide 60 toapply the reinforcement 40 along the desired path 50.

The guide 60 tightly winds the reinforcement 40 around the smooth rotorprofile. In one embodiment, sufficient tension is applied to thereinforcement 40 by the guide 60 so that the normal forces exerted uponthe reinforcement 40 by the rotor body 10 substantially eliminateslipping of the reinforcement 40 relative to the smooth outer surface ofthe rotor body 10.

FIGS. 5C and 5D illustrate other exemplary embodiments wherein twoseparate elongate reinforcements 40 a, 40 b are simultaneously appliedto the outer surface of the rotor body 10 by two guides 60 a and 60 b.The starting points of the reinforcements 40 a, 40 b may be positionedon opposite sides of the rotor body 10 to wind opposite one another, asdepicted in FIG. 5C, or the starting points may be positioned proximateeach other, as depicted in FIG. 5D. Each reinforcement guide 60 a, 60 bmay have as many as five degrees of freedom as discussed above.

The reinforcement path 50 is generally helical and extends around thesurface of the centrifuge rotor body 10 while also moving axiallybetween the upper end 12 toward the lower end 16. The reinforcement path50 may also extend at least partially around the surface of the lowerend 16 of the rotor body 10.

FIGS. 6A through 6E illustrate the progression of winding reinforcement40 to form layers by showing that the reinforcement 40 is woundrepeatedly around the sidewall 14 of the rotor body 10 along thereinforcement path 50. The repeated winding of the elongatereinforcement 40 around the outer surface of the rotor body 10eventually results in layers of reinforcement 44 covering the rotor body10 as depicted in FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the reinforcement 40 may be, for example, a carbonfiber filament. The filament may be a composite material of carbon fiberand resin that, at the conclusion of the winding process, is cured inorder to form an integral centrifuge rotor assembly 2. Alternatively,various other high-tensile, high-modulus materials, such as glass fiber,synthetic fiber such as para-aramid fiber (i.e., Kevlar®), thermoplasticfilament, metal wire, or other materials suitable for reinforcing arotor body may be used instead of carbon fiber.

In FIGS. 2 and 5A, points 30 and 32 are shown on the outer surface ofthe substantially smooth rotor body 10. Point 30 corresponds to theradial projection onto the surface of sidewall 14 of the location of thecenter of gravity of a loaded well. Point 32 corresponds to theintersection of the central longitudinal axis C of one of the wells 20with the outer surface of the lower end 16. In one embodiment, thereinforcement path 50 overlaps at one or both of these points 30, 32such that at least two portions of reinforcement 40 interlock to coverone or both points 30, 32. Each interlock may be formed, for example, byoverlapping portions of reinforcement 40 and applied resin. As shown inFIG. 1, vertical bands of interlocks 52 and horizontal bands ofinterlocks 54 may be formed by the layers of reinforcement 44 around therotor body 10. One or more of the vertical bands 52 may be located atthe radial projection of a well longitudinal axis C on the surface ofthe rotor body 10. One of the horizontal bands 54 may be disposed at thecenter of gravity of the loaded wells. This is one method by which thereinforcement path 50 may intersect points such as points 30 and 32.

Point 32 is also shown in FIG. 5C, and points 30 and 32 are shown inFIG. 5D. Where multiple reinforcements 40 a, 40 b are used to constructthe reinforcement 40, an intersection of reinforcement 40 a withreinforcement 40 b may be positioned at the projected center of gravity30 or longitudinal axis intersection point 32.

In the embodiment shown and described herein, the elongate reinforcement40 may further be applied to the rotor body 10 along a path extending ina generally circumferential direction at least partly around the upperend 12 of the rotor body 10 to define a lip 18 proximate the upper end12 of the rotor body 10. As shown in FIGS. 5B through 5D, a fixture 64may be placed at the upper end 12 of the rotor wherein the filament 40may be wrapped around the generally cylindrical fixture 64 in order toform the lip 18 (see FIG. 2) that is above the upper end 12 of the rotorbody 10. As shown in FIG. 2A, the lip 18 may be formed with a steppedinner profile including an upper inner diameter D1 that is greater thana lower inner diameter D2, such that the top inner sidewall 17 a isfurther back then the lower inner sidewall 17 b. The stepped innerprofile results in a horizontal ledge 19 between the upper and lowerinner sidewalls 17 a, 17 b of the lip 18.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A-2C, the centrifuge rotor assembly 2 mayinclude a lid 70 with an o-ring 72 disposed thereon. The lid 70 may beconfigured to fit within the lip 18 such that the lid 70 rests on aledge 19 formed by the stepped inner profile of the lip 18. Ideally, thelid 70 is formed such that, when the lid 70 rests upon the lip 18, thereis sliding contact between the lid 70 and the sidewall of the lip 18that does not impede removal of the lid 70. To create a tight seal, thelid 70 is forced downwardly into the lip 18 by the lid screw 94 asdescribed above. The o-ring 72, when pressed downwardly, expands in aradial direction such that it presses tightly against the sidewall 17 a,as shown in FIG. 2C, thus creating a seal. The lid 70 is securely sealedproximate the upper end 12 of the rotor body 10, but is easily removableby releasing the downward force exerted upon the lid 70 by the lid screw94. When the force is released, the resilient o-ring retracts away fromthe sidewall of the lip 18 so that there is again only sliding contactbetween the lid 70 and the lip 18. The lid 70 can then be easilyremoved.

FIGS. 7A-7C depict another exemplary centrifuge rotor assembly 2 a,including a reinforced rotor body 10 a and a lid 70 a which may beconstructed as described above with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C and 4A-4D.Similar features are similarly numbered. The outer surface of the rotorbody 10 a is covered with layers of reinforcement 44 as described above.A lid screw 94 a screws into a hub 90 a in order to secure the lid 70 a.The downward force exerted by the lid screw 94 a on the lid 70 a and theo-ring 72 a creates a seal similar to that explained above with respectto FIG. 2.

In this embodiment, the lid 70 a is configured to facilitate securingsample containers 80 within the wells 20. The lid 70 a includes anangled surface 71 a on its underside. As shown in FIG. 7B, the samplecontainers 80 include caps 82 which press onto the tops of the samplecontainers 80 in order to contain their contents. The rotor body 10 ainclude contour bores 84 at the top of the wells 20 that are sized toreceive the caps 82 as the wells 20 receive the sample containers 80.When the lid screw 94 a presses downwardly on the lid 70 a, the angledsurface 71 a is positioned such that it presses downwardly on the caps82, forcing the caps 82 onto the containers 80 loaded into the wells 20,as depicted in FIG. 7C, and containing the caps 82 securely within thecontour bores 84. Thus, in addition to providing a seal as illustratedabove, the lid 70 a also provides additional containment for the samplecontainers 80. As above, the lid 70 a can be easily removed when thedownward force from the lid screw 94 a is released.

While various aspects in accordance with the principles of the inventionhave been illustrated by the description of various embodiments, andwhile the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, theyare not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of theinvention to such detail. The various features shown and describedherein may be used alone or in any combination. Additional advantagesand modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Theinvention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to thespecific details, representative apparatus and methods and illustrativeexamples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made fromsuch details without departing from the scope of the general inventiveconcept.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A method of making a centrifuge rotor using a rotorbody having a first axial end, a second axial end, a circumferentialsidewall extending between the first and second axial ends, a rotationalaxis, and a plurality of wells adapted to receive containers forcentrifugation, the wells opening on the first axial end of the rotorbody, the method comprising: winding an elongate reinforcement aroundthe circumferential sidewall of the rotor body along a helical path suchthat two or more portions of the reinforcement interlock at at least oneof: a) a location on the circumferential sidewall corresponding to theaxial position of a center of gravity of a loaded well of one of theplurality of wells, or b) a location corresponding to the intersectionof a longitudinal axis of one of the plurality of wells with a bottomsurface proximate the second axial end of the rotor body.
 17. The methodof claim 16, wherein the centrifuge rotor body comprises carbon fibermaterial.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein winding the elongatereinforcement further comprises applying sufficient tension to thereinforcement such that the reinforcement does not slip on thecircumferential sidewall of the rotor body.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein winding the elongate reinforcement further comprises the rotorbody exerting sufficient force on the reinforcement in a directionnormal to the surface of the sidewall to stop the reinforcement fromslipping.
 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: winding atleast a portion of the elongate reinforcement around the rotor body toextend along a circumferential direction proximate said first end of therotor body.
 21. The method of claim 16, wherein the elongatereinforcement comprises fibers coated with a polymeric material and themethod further comprises heating the rotor body wound with the elongatereinforcement to cause the polymeric material to flow into a continuouslayer.